A record 4.3 million people quit their jobs in August, according to the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Many are demanding higher wages to return to the labor force. ADP reports private-sector employment rose strongly in September.
Black workers were the only racial or ethnic group for whom unemployment rose in the most recent monthly data — to nearly 9%.
No more gig worker and self-employed benefits, no more extra $300 a week and no more extended aid for the long-term unemployed.
Their federal benefits — which add up to more than $6 billion a week — are about to run out.
Many states ended pandemic-related federal unemployment programs early, but there’s no evidence it sent more people back to work.
A new study says vaccination rates are a bigger incentive to look for work than the loss of the weekly payments.
About half of states have ended at least some enhanced federal support, which were funded to run through September.
That’s even while the economy and job market appear to be rebounding.
Wages across the board would rise amid a widespread labor shortage, one economist says. But we’re seeing pockets of wage growth.
